Illustration by Pete Ryan
When Adam McGrath describes his move last year from the Ottawa area to Regina, it doesn’t sound as if things are dramatically different.
But as he talks about what has changed, it’s clear he’s much happier as a renter in the Prairie city. They’re simple things, such as paying only $1,200 to rent an entire house with his wife, when the small two-bed condo that he previously rented goes for $1,950. Or the fact that he can leave the city and hike in nature in less than 20 minutes, or drive to work in just 10 minutes. He feels better about saving for retirement.
“Nothing really jumps off the page, it’s just life is easier, less expensive, I’m putting money away, and it’s just less stressful in every way,” the 43-year-old said.
Mr. McGrath’s experience is one example of why Regina and other Saskatchewan cities ranked so much higher than larger and more expensive communities in Ontario and British Columbia in The Globe and Mail’s annual data study of the most renter-friendly cities in Canada.
Saskatchewan had three cities in the top five this year. Regina was ranked first, Saskatoon was third and Lloydminster – which straddles the boundary between Saskatchewan and Alberta – ranked fourth.
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The Globe’s study found that Regina and Saskatoon both benefited from having some of the most affordable rents in Canada when compared with average incomes in the region, ranking in the top 25 on that metric among 243 cities with a population of at least 20,000. The cities also ranked among the top 10 for the number of available rental listings, and had above-average livability scores.
Scarth Street in Regina, in November, 2025.Heywood Yu/The Canadian Press
Data from Rentals.ca, which provided market information for The Globe’s study, showed that the average asking price for a two-bedroom rental in Regina was just $1,523. That’s less than half the price of a two-bedroom rental in Vancouver, where the average asking rent was $3,336. Even mid-sized Ontario cities such as London had average asking rents higher than $2,000 for similar units.
“What I’ve heard from graduate students, professors, people looking to settle in the community, is that they’re usually really pleasantly surprised by what they do find in Saskatoon,” said Scott Bell, a professor of geography and planning at the University of Saskatchewan.
The Saskatchewan Legislative Building can be seen from Trafalgar Overlook in Regina, in 2024.Heywood Yu/The Canadian Press
“There’s elements of Prairie cities that are always going to be endearing: the sense of place, or the ability to integrate into the community, find friend groups easily, and have mobility to move around and not be stuck in your car.”
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Some of those cities are also getting denser, thanks to a push from local governments to create more infill through backyard suites and zoning laws that allow multiplexes. In recent years, 27 per cent of new dwellings in Regina were created in established neighbourhoods, up from only 5 per cent in 2021, according to city statistics.
Regina’s aim is to create more vibrant neighbourhoods with increased commerce and foot traffic. Such changes can also have a notable impact on housing stock in relatively small communities.
“Our Prairie cities, compared to other Prairie cities like Winnipeg and Calgary, have lower populations to begin with, so if you build a single rental property with 40 or 50 units, the impact that has on the rate of available units is going to be bigger in Saskatchewan,” Prof. Bell said.
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Regina’s local government has worked to make it easy to build housing and preserve the affordability that the Saskatchewan capital is known for. Luke Grazier, the city’s director of sustainable infrastructure, said most residential building permits are approved in under 10 days. In other parts of the country, this process can sometimes take several weeks.
Giacomo Ladas, a spokesperson for Rentals.ca, said Saskatchewan cities have remained affordable, despite the fact that asking rents have increased by roughly 25 per cent over the past three years as the province has grown.
That price growth is flattening out, and Mr. Ladas predicts that prices will remain stable or even decrease throughout the rest of 2026. Even in June, Regina’s rental rates posted a 0.1-per-cent decline on a month-over-month basis.
A flowering canola crop grows in Saskatoon, in July, 2025.Ed White/Reuters
That’s important for renters, many of whom are looking at renting as a long-term way of life as home ownership becomes increasingly out of reach.
“A third of renters have been renting for 10 years or more and about 70 per cent of renters have been renting for at least three years,” Mr. Ladas said, citing results from a recent poll by his company.
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For Mr. McGrath, paying drastically cheaper rent has allowed him to actually consider home ownership for the very first time.
“Suddenly it’s very possible, and I will probably be buying a home in the next year,” Mr. McGrath said.
“Does my life change because I’m living somewhere more affordable? Absolutely. It’s totally changed my financial future.”
And despite all the growth in Regina, he said he’s been able to retain a deep sense of connection to nature. An avid hiker and camper, he appreciates being only a few minutes’ drive from Wascana Park, one of North America’s largest urban parks.
Mr. McGrath described being in the park and hearing rushing water from creeks, and cresting small hills that let him see for miles into the prairie fields. In this environment, the sky feels enormous, he said.
“It’s open in a way that nowhere at home is,” Mr. McGrath said.
